Boat trailer



Aug. 31, 1948. c. F. PETERSON 2,448,119

' BOAT TRAILER Filed Oct. 7, 1946 2 Sheet-Sheet 1 fjjf zs 217 I nz'entorCfarence 1: Pefemon.

nan W EM 1948. c. F. PETERSON 2,448,119

BOAT TRAILER v I Filed Oct. 7, 1946 Z SheetS-Shee'c 2 Inventor['[arezzce f. fiefemorz.

W mq,

Patented Aug. 31, 1948 1 UNITED [STATES OFFICE ffBoA T TRAiLERi 1Clarence F. Peterson, Filer, Idaho Applicationoctob er 7, 194 6;, SerialNo. 701,749

1 This 'inventionrelates te new and useful improvements and structuralrefinements in boat trailers j'and the principal object of theinv'entionis to provide a device oft hecharacter herein described, such as may beconvenientlyand'effec'- tively employed ,in association withautomobiles, or the 111cc, for i kup; transportationjanudeliveryofboats.

A further object of the invention i to provide "a boat trailer whichembodies in its construction hoisting means for elevating the boat fromthe ground or water into itsportable position. Another object of theinvention is to provide a boat trailer wherein the boat'may be firmlysecured in preparation for the transportation step, and from which theboat may be readily released when so'desired. "Ai still further objectof the invention is to provide a boat trailer which is imple inconstruction' and-operation, and whichwill readily lend itself toeconomical manufacture. 7

'With the above more important: obj ects in view, and such other objectsas. may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the inventionconsists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts asillustrated in the accompanying drawings... in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention, Figure 2 is a sideelevation thereof;

2Clainis. (01. 214-75) are' secured in a spaced relationship to the sidemembers 12, thej mid-portions of the cross membersbeing elevated withrespect to the side members,*a"swi1 l'be clearly apparent from theaccompanying drawings. g

A pair of upright tubular sockets I 8 are also securedto the sidemembers l2 medially the length oithe latter and a Din I9 is rotatablypositioned in each of these sockets, as is best shown in Figure 4. An.axle block 20 is secured to the lower end portion of each of the pins H)by means of a suitable set screw 2|, the blocks ZO being provided withlaterally extending s tub shafts 22 on each of which a road wheel 23 maybe rotatably mounted. I It willbealso noted that the sockets l8 arereinforcedby means of the struts 24 secured to the afore-mentioned sidemembers I2.

The'upper ends of the pins I!) carry suitable levers ,25, the free endsof which are formed with apertures to receive. locking pins 26. Thesepins areseleotively receivable infurther apertures provided in pairsofangle brackets 21, 28 secured to the side members I 2. v 1 s .A winch29, operated by a crank handle 30, is secured to the forward end portionofthe chassis H, andtwo pairs of hoisting cables 3| are assoelated withthe winch forsimultaneous winding or unwinding. The cables 3| pass oversuitable pulleys 32 provided on the underside of the elevated Figure 3is a cross-sectional view, taken subportion f cross members n as is bestshown stantia-lly in the plane of the line 33 in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane ofthe line 44 in Figure 1.

Like characters of reference are used to desig nate like parts in thespecification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the inventionconsists of a boat trailer designated generally by the referencecharacter Hi, the same embodying in its construction a chassis llconsisting of a pair of spaced, substantially parallel side members l2.The forward end portions of these side members are inwardly arcuated toa point of convergence, as at l3, where they are rigidly securedtogether. At this point, the chassis is equipped with a downwardlyextending leg [4, braced as at [5, the lower end of the leg extendingforwardly to provide a hitching tongue [6, whereby the trailer may beconveniently connected to an automobile, or the like. The leg M will, ofcourse, also function as an effective support for the forward end of thetrailer, when the invention is not in use.

in Figure 1. The free end of each of the cables 3| is equipped with ahook 33 and it will be noted that the hoisting means thus formedprovides four points of suspension, that is, two on each of the crossmembers l1.

Pairs of leaf springs 34 are also secured to the side members It. eachof said springs carrying at its free end a shackle pin 35 which connectstogether the free end portions of a substantially U- shaped hanger 35.One of these hangers is associated with each of the springs 34, thehangers being freely suspended from the springs and straddling. so as tospeak. the adjacent of the side member 12. Each of the hangers 36, inturn, carries a depending eye or shackle 31, the eyes being alignedtransversely of the chassis l l in pairs, "as will be clearly apparentfrom the accompanying drawings. Each of a pair of struts 38 is formed atthe ends thereof with downturned detents 39, each of said struts beingremovably receivable in a pair of the transversely aligned eyes 31, asis best shown in Figure 3. It will be noted that the detents 39 willretain the strut in the A pair of inverted U-shaped cross members I!eyes, yet the strut may be readily removed therefrom by simply liftingthe same upwardly, so as to disengage the detents from the eyes.

When the invention is placed in use, the pins 26 are Withdrawn from thebrackets 21 and the levers 25 are rotated in the direction of the arrows40, so that the pins 26 may be engaged with the brackets 28. When thisengagement has been accomplished, the wheels 23 will be disposed on theoutside of the side members l2, as indicated at 4|.

The trailer may now be passed over the boat (not shown) resting on theground and it will be noted that the configuration of the chassisconforms substantially to the outline of the boat, so as to form whatmay be referred to as a cradle therefor. If the boat is resting inwater, such as between two piers, the tread of the projected wheels 23may be sufiiciently wide to facilitate the passage of the trailer overthe boat, with each wheel riding on one of the piers.

The hooks 33 are then attached to the boatin any suitable manner .and.the boat .as a Whole is raised by manipulating the winch 29. When theboat has been elevated to a sufiicientextent, the struts 38, whichheretofore Were removed, may be positioned in the hanger eyes 31,.asshown in Figure 3. Thereupon, the winch 29 is again .manipulated soas to lower the boat onto the struts 38, which will then support theboat while the strain on thecables 3| is relieved.

By virtue of .the suspension provided by the springs .34 and theassociated hangers, the boat will be resiliently supported with respectto the chassis I 1, thus safeguarding against road shocks while thetrailer is in motion.

It should be added that after the boat has been raised to its elevatedposition and deposited upon the struts 33, the levers 25 are againmanipulated so as to engage the pins 26 with the brackets .27 and toreturn the wheels 23 to their inner positions, as shown in the drawings.While in this position, the tread of the wheels conforms tosubstantially the wheel tread of the Vehicle .by which the trailer is.drawn.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will beclearly understood from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly,further description thereof at this point is considered 'unnecessary, 1

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changesin the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A boat trailer comprising a chassis including spaced side members andforming a cradle for a boat, wheels carrying said'chassis, leaf springsmounted on said side members, substantially U- shaped hangers suspendedfrom said springs and straddling said side members, a depending eyecarried by each of said hangers, and boat supporting struts extendingtransversely of said chassis, each of said struts being provided withdetents at its ends and the end portions thereof being removablyreceivable in a pair of said eyes.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 together with upright tubularsockets secured to said side members, pins rotatable in said sockets andprovided with laterally projecting stub shafts to accommodate saidwheels, swingable levers secured to said-pins, brackets on saidsidemembers, and locking pins receivable in said brackets and said leversfor releasably retaining said wheels in predetermined relative positionswith respect to said chassis.

CLARENCE F. PETERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

' UNiTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7,227 Sipe July 18, 18761,437,967 Fitch Dec. 5, 1922 1,531,180 Erickson Mar. 24, 1925 2,296,611Green Sept. '22, 1942 2,388,870 Sackett Nov, 13, 1945 2,425,252 LarsonAug. 5, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 758,279 France Oct. 23,1933

